Energía Argentina SA (Enarsa) agreed with Bolivia on the continuity of gas supply to supply the demand of seven provinces in the center/northern of the country during the winter, in order to avoid new shortage problems and as a result of the delayed completion of the Reversal of the Northern Gasduct.
The state company announced that it signed with Yacimientos Petrolófilos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) the ninth addendum to the contract that binds them to ensure the supply of natural gas for the demand of Northern Argentina for the months of August and September of this year.
From Enarsa they assured that “this supply will allow the central/northern area of the country to be supplied with up to 4 million cubic meters per day (MMm3/day) depending on the requirement of internal demandwhile the Northern Gasduct Reversal project, currently underway, is completed.”
At the same time, they specified that “said TGN gas pipeline Reversal project, It is estimated that it will be in operation on September 15 allowing to bring to the northern provinces an additional 5 MMm3/day to the current ones and in a second stage another 4 MMm3/day.”
The supply contract between Argentina and Bolivia, which supplies gas to 7 provinces in the center and north of the country, had an expiration date of July 31, after decades of validity. With the new renewal, it is extended for two more months, with the objective that once the extension period has expired, the Reversion of the North Gasduct will be completed and The demand begins to be covered with resources from Vaca Muerta.
After the crisis due to the lack of gas in May, the Government seeks to ensure that this scenario is not repeated in the middle of the coldest months of the year, so in addition to the agreement with the Bolivian oil company, in recent weeks it has made progress in concretizing negotiations with Brazil and Chile to reinforce supply.
With the country chaired by Lula Da Silva, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the end of April between Enarsa and Petrobras for a period of three years, with different purposes, among which is “solve the NOA gas supply while the recently tendered works for the reversal of the Northern Gasduct are completed.”
Meanwhile, last week, the trans-Andean country agreed with the state-owned Enap to import natural gas to supply northern Argentina, from the Mejillones Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal.
In this regard, the Chilean Ministry of Energy reported that “Engie Energía Chile and Enap Refinerías will sign a natural gas purchase and sale contract to export the volumes arranged to Enarsa.”
